Unfulfilled hopes drive Memphis' Jackson in offseason
Joe Jackson has one word to describe his freshman campaign.
Subpar.
I'll buy into that assessment, but it's refreshing to see a young, overhyped, talented kid such as Jackson be honest with himself -- and others.
"It wasn't what I expected," Memphis' own told CBSSports.com of his freshman campaign. "There were things I had to learn and changes I had to make."
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| Joe Jackson nearly left his hometown school midway through his first season playing for Josh Pastner. (US Presswire) |
"He's one of them," Barton said. "He's from Memphis and is one of the best players to ever come out of the city. There was a lot of pressure on him, people were expecting him to average 30."
Instead, Jackson -- for a stretch -- couldn't even beat out Antonio Barton, considered a throw-in with his brother, for the starting point-guard spot.
"I felt as though earlier in the year, Joe didn't have that chip on his shoulder," Memphis coach Josh Pastner said. "He didn't have that same mentality, that edge about him. That chip."
"It was tough for me," Jackson admits.
So brutal that he thought long and hard about bolting the only place he truly ever dreamed of playing college basketball.
"I can't tell you how close," Jackson admitted. "I was just trying to find a way. I had doubts."
There were plenty of conversations between Jackson and Will Barton -- at their dorms and in hotel rooms on the road.
"I knew everything that was going on," Barton said. "We both had our ups and down and I just kept telling him to stay, that we came in together and we're going to get there together."
Finally, Jackson broke out -- after rumors swept through Memphis and throughout a segment of the coaching fraternity that the Tigers' home-grown point guard was contemplating a move elsewhere.
It came in the Conference USA tournament -- where he carried the Tigers to the title and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
He averaged 22 points in the three games and did it with efficiency -- making 16 of 29 shots from the field.
"I knew it was going to click at some point," said Jackson, who was the MVP in the conference tourney. "I've never been a quitter. I was trying my best to make it work."
Now Jackson is primed to finally fulfill the potential that many figured would put him among the nation's elite and return the Tigers to Final Four contention.
He has a guy in former NBA point guard Damon Stoudamire to learn from -- and he will also have the international experience of playing in the Under-19 world championships, which begin later this month in Latvia.
"He knows everything about where I want to go," Jackson said of the Tigers' new assistant coach and former lottery pick. "He was successful as a scoring point guard in the NBA. I've been watching film of him and there are so many similarities in our games."
Jackson, like just about everyone else in his position, wants to get to the next level. In fact, he figured he would be hearing his name called this Thursday along with guys he has gone up against and more than held his own: Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight.
"I've come to the realization that I'm an undersized guard," Jackson admitted. "I'm not going to enter the draft until I feel as though I'm a lottery pick -- and as a small guard, you've got to dominate the game like Kemba [Walker] did.
"Let's face it," he added. "The NBA isn't waiting for 6-foot point guards."
That's just one example how Jackson has matured.
He never would have been able to utter those words this time last year.
But Jackson has made strides, whether it's in the classroom, as a leader or on the court with how to run a college team.
Now Jackson understands he doesn't have to score 30 points each and every game -- as he did back in high school and in the summertime with his AAU outfit.
"I've always been asked to score," Jackson said. "But I had to learn how to put the team first."
If that's the case, there's no reason Memphis fans can't legitimately start talking about returning to the Final Four.
